Let Not My Soul Thy Works Forget

WORDS: Ryan Cornett, 2025

MUSIC: William Yoakley, 1849

TUNE: NEW YOAKLEY (L.M.)

Let not my soul Thy works forget,

But earnest musings oft expose

The ways Thou hast raised my estate,

How from the grave to Christ I rose.

(Psalm 103:2, Psalm 136:23, Ephesians 2:4-6, Romans 5:17-19, 1 Samuel 2:8)

The Shepherd's calling made me whole,

No longer deaf to mercy's cries;

My muted tongue Thy word hath loosed;

Where silence ruled, now praises rise.

(John 10:27, Isaiah 35:5-6, Romans 10:17, Luke 1:64, Psalm 51:15)

Though once defiled by flesh unclean,

Too lame from such despair to flee,

The leper's shame no more I wear;

This cripple leapt and ran to Thee.

(Luke 17:14-19, Isaiah 35:6, Acts 3:6-8, Mark 2:3-12, Leviticus 13:45-46)

In darkness deep, fast bound to sin,

Until the dawn of favor Thine;

Thy hand flung wide the prison doors,

And shattered night with light divine.

(Isaiah 42:6-7, Psalm 107:14, Luke 4:18, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Colossians 1:13)

May I each gifted morn recall

The Lamb Whose blood discharged my debt;

Each breath a song of memory,

'Tis by Thy grace I'll not forget.

(Revelation 5:12-13, Psalm 103:1, Luke 7:47, Romans 12:1)

About the Hymn

Let Not My Soul Thy Works Forget was inspired by passages like Psalm 103, which call the soul to remember the Lord's goodness and not forget His benefits. The hymn traces the journey of the redeemed soul from death to life, using Scripture's own language for spiritual transformation.

Each stanza reflects on what God has brought His people out of and into. The final stanza surprised me with the idea that every moment and every breath is both a testimony to God's grace and an opportunity to return that grace in praise.

Set in Long Meter for lyrical depth and paired with the adapted tune NEW YOAKLEY, this hymn is shaped by the melody's rising final phrase, giving each stanza space to conclude with awe and worship.